Book first — every visit, every vehicle
West Lothian calls its sites community recycling centres, and **you need to book your visit in advance whatever you are driving** — a car, a van, a hire van or a car towing a trailer.
That is worth repeating because it is different from several neighbouring councils. A car with a couple of bags still needs a slot.
Book through the council's community recycling centres pages before you load up.
- Booking required for all visits
- Cars, vans, hire vans and trailers
- Vans NOT permitted on Sundays
- 10 van/trailer visits per year
- Calendar year, 1 Jan to 31 Dec
- West Lothian residents only
The two van rules that catch people
**Vans are not permitted on a Sunday.** Not restricted, not limited to certain hours — not permitted. For anyone who does their clearing at the weekend and works Saturdays, that removes the only day available.
**Van and trailer visits are limited to ten a year**, running from 1 January to 31 December. That is per household, and it is fewer than North Lanarkshire's twelve.
Ten sounds like plenty until a real project starts. Clearing a garage, a loft and a garden across one summer will use half of them, because a van holds less than people picture once bulky items go in awkwardly.
The rules elsewhere in Scotland vary considerably and are set out in can you take a van to a Scottish recycling centre.
It's Sunday and you have a van
We work seven days with no restrictions. Livingston to Linlithgow, photo quote in minutes.
What the sites take
The standard household streams: garden waste, timber, metal, rubble and hardcore, card and paper, plastics, glass, textiles and electricals under WEEE (anything with a plug or a battery), fridges and freezers included and degassed properly.
Refused: asbestos, gas cylinders, bulk chemicals and solvents, clinical waste and tyres in quantity. Our hazardous and special waste page explains the right route for each.
Trade waste is not accepted. Household sites are funded for residents, and trade waste needs a licensed carrier and a duty-of-care transfer note — see builders waste removal.
When the tip works, and when it doesn't
With a slot booked and a car load to shift, the tip is free and it is the right choice. No argument from us.
It stops working on a Sunday with a van. It stops working once the ten van visits are gone. It stops working when the job needs more trips than you have slots for, or when the load is heavy enough that you will be lifting it twice — into the vehicle, then out again at the site.
And it never worked for the things a car cannot carry: a suite, a wardrobe, a fridge-freezer, a mattress, a shed.
We cover Livingston, Bathgate, Linlithgow, Broxburn, Whitburn, Armadale and Fauldhouse — seven days a week, no booking, no visit limit, and we carry it out ourselves. Loads start at £100 + VAT with a duty-of-care transfer note every time.
See rubbish removal in Livingston, house clearance or garden clearance.
